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U.S. Envoy Says Parties Close to Resolution on Soros University

U.S. Envoy Says Close to Ending Conflict Over Soros-Founded University

(Bloomberg) -- The U.S. ambassador to Hungary said he was “cautiously optimistic” about resolving the conflict over the George Soros-founded Central European University in Budapest.

The Hungarian government and CEU officials may “soon” meet to resolve their differences, Ambassador David Cornstein told an audience at the university in the Hungarian capital on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban has threatened to shut CEU by year’s end as part of a crackdown against universities and NGOs as part of his pursuit of an “illiberal democracy.” He’s targeted organizations linked to Soros, the Hungarian-born investor and philanthropist whose vision of open societies Orban has said is at odds with his vision.

To contact the reporter on this story: Zoltan Simon in Budapest at zsimon@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Balazs Penz at bpenz@bloomberg.net, Michael Winfrey, Paul Abelsky

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